Tears of Happiness
by aznii.25
Summary: Ib and Garry run into a mysterious painting of a newly-wedded couple while walking around and pretty much going nowhere. But something is a bit off about this painting... In this story, Ib finally realizes what it's like to feel emotion. And in the hardest way possible. Sorta lolicon, but not really. It's a good one, don't worry. :
1. The Newlyweds

"Ib?" Said Garry, touching the young girl's face. It felt cold; almost as if she was dead. "Please, Ib, this is no time for sleeping." Ib had suddenly started to open her eyes to the sound of his soothing voice. "Oh, thank goodness. You had me worried there for a second. Come on, we've got to keep moving." Garry took Ib's tiny hand and walked toward a large door. It looked as if it was made out of crayon. "Hm.." Garry touched the wall, stroking it with his long fingers. The area around them shook violently, causing Ib to fall down. "Ib!" She had knocked her head against the concrete. "Ack! Ib!" Garry had picked her up bridal style, pushing the loose strands of her hair away from her eyes. "Ib, are you alright?"

"..." Ib nodded slightly, but on the inside she was screaming. Screaming loudly... not because of the pain, so much... but because of the fear that has finally struck this young girl. Such a heavy burden to carry for a girl only 9 years of age. Thoughts roamed through her head. She closed her eyes and felt the hankerchief in her pocket. _Will I ever escape? What's the point, though? I am only a bother... I've only ever held people back._

_ I can never learn to love, I will never learn to understand to be brave._

_ I am a fool. This is all my fault. _With all these terrible thoughts quietly making their way from Ib's brain to her heart, a tear finally broke out of the cage inside of her, and glistened accross her cheek.

"Ib? Why are you crying?" Garry stopped walking for a little while, setting Ib down on a colorful yellow chair. He kneeled down in front of the crying girl who never spoke, wiping away her tears. "Don't cry... I'm here," he smiled. His warm smiled comforted her a little. Reassuring her that things were going to be okay. "Don't waste your tears right now. Save them for another day where you'll cry tears of happiness, instead of sorrow." He hugged her tightly, not expecting any movement from her. When suddenly, Ib raised her arms and wrapped them around him. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Garry..." she spoke softly. Her voice crackling. She closed her eyes and tears started flowing from her eyes. Garry pulled back. He knew it was wrong to look, but he couldn't resist seeing this young girl finally showing emotion. Finally showing feeling.

"Ib... tell me," Garry started, standing up. He scanned the paintings on the walls, the dark areas in the distance, the red eyes glaring at him from up above, and more eerie things that lurked in the shadows. "Can you speak?" Ib looked up at the man, with her big brown eyes. Her bangs pushed in all different directions and her hair in knots. Wondering why he would ask such a question, she stayed silent. "...Is that a yes or a no?" But she still kept silent. "Because I just heard you speak to me- Or at least I could've sworn you said my name." She batted her eyelashes at him, cocking her head to the side slightly. Garry blushed at the sight of this adorable young creature. "O-Okay! Whatever, whatever. A-Ahem.. let's keep going. Just.. Just don't cry anymore! I'm here, okay?" Garry picked up Ib bridal style once again, and headed off.

They had been walking for about an hour now, and getting nowhere. "Ib, I'm beat." Garry exhaled deeply, plopping down without thinking. He had forgotten that he was still carrying Ib. So when he had sat down abruptly, leaning his back up against the wall, Ib had fell down pretty hard right on his groin area. His face flushed red, and he let out a loud, "AIYAAHHHHHHH! OWWWAAAAH, SWEEEEEET MOTHER OF JESUS, THAT **HURT**." Garry rolled over to his side, holding the spot where she had made a 'perfect 10' landing. Ib looked to the side, seeming unconcerned. Garry turned around to her, speaking loudly and sarcastically."Uh, YEAH, Ib, I'm fine, thanks for asking." But Ib hadn't turned her head to him; it was like she hadn't even heard him scream. "..Ib? Ib, you alright?" Garry crawled over to her side, looking in the direction she was. "Ah.. looking at that painting over there, huh?" Garry picked her up again, carrying her over closer to it. "Hm." He squinted his eyes at it, scanning it closely.

"It says, _'The Newlyweds'_. It's two people who just got married." Garry then noticed something odd. "Hm? That's odd." He saw a fashing red circle in the ring of the bride's left hand. "Strange art style, but.. art's art, I guess." Ib looked up at Garry, blinking at him. "What?" She looked at the painting, then back at him. "Wha- OH. Am I married? Is that what you're asking me? Well, no- Mmmfph." Ib interrupted his obvious statment by covering his mouth with her small hand. "Oh, that wasn't it? Well, what is it?" Ib, jumped down from his arms, and pointed at the painting. "Okay, the painting. Got it." She then raised both her arms up, signaling she wanted to be picked up. "Awwww, you're so cute, Ib!" He picked her up once again. Ib stared at the painting, scanning everything about it. She was constantly adjusting herself so she would match the bride's pose exactly. It was quite awkward for her though, since the bride in the painting was snuggling up to her groom very affectionately. "Hey! Haha, Ib, are you trying to copy their pose? Why didn't you just say so?" Garry soon adjusted himself to match the groom.

As soon as they matched them exactly, the ring on the bride's finger started to glow brighter and brighter. It flashed a bright red before both Garry and Ib passed out. Ib's mind was flooded with more and more thoughts she couldn't understand. Before she could gasp for air, she saw a pretty piece of pure white paper. Written on it was a letter; or really more of an instruction... or maybe a riddle. It said,

"Home is not so far away,

Although together you must stay.

Do not question fate,

and open the gate.

A promise kept by time,

'I am your's and you are mine.'

Two paths,

one you must take,

and one you must forget.

One full of light,

one full of anger and regret.

A device created by God,

allowing you to manipulate time.

So that you could forever be with,

that one on the other end of the

red string of fate."

And with that, Ib's mind faded into a deep deep slumber.


	2. The Long Awaited Rest

"Ib? ..Ib, come on! Wake up, please!" Garry's voice called out. But all Ib could see is darkness. All she could hear was fear. Every step they took was one more into the dark. "Ib.." Garry planted his lips on her forhead, sending a rush of warmth through her body. She gasped, waking up abruptly. "I-Ib! H-How.. why.." She looked up at him, blinking her eyes in surprie, her little movements signaling to that surprise smooch. "O-Oh, that-! I-I was just- I just- You were so cute-" Garry turned his head away embarrassed. "We need to keep moving." As he started to walk, Ib tugged on his long purple-ish jacket.

_'Should I... tell him about the riddle..?' _Ib thought to herself.

"Ib? Is something wrong?" He knelt down in front of her, placing her on his lap. "You need to tell me these things," he stood up from the ground, carrying her. "we're a team now." Ib nodded and proceeded to shiver. She was getting awfully cold. The area around them was shifting, they both had not noticed the slight change in venue. The painting had brought them to a different world, one that did not contain the evil girl of art named 'Mary'. The path they had chosen now had a different ending. Two different endings, actually. "...I've got a weird feeling about this place, Ib... it's... not like the other places we've been to. It's atmosphere.. feels a lot different." Garry shivered, and took big, careful steps. The silence was deafening. Each step brought them closer and closer to a dark figure. A large, dark figure. He snuggled Ib; bringing her close to his face. Almost as if she was a teddy bear he was holding close for warmth and protection.

Suddenly, the hit something hard. "Gah!"Garry stumbled back a bit, but clutching on to Ib tightly. The fell through the floor boards and down to an unknown area. It was a long fall, so Garry had enough time to yell, "IB, HOLD ON TIGHT!" before crashing to the ground with a loud bang.

Ib had been the first one to open her eyes, and crawl out of Garry's grasp. She had realized that she was unharmed because Garry had risked himself for her. Her eyes started to water as she shook him, silently begging him to open his eyes. And without a word, she bend down, and planted a light and tiny kiss on Garry's forehead, letting a tear slip from her eye onto his face. They couldn't see it, but in another world, in another place in time, the ring on that had taken them to that world, had began to develop into something else. Some bigger. Something... more. The painting itself had began to develop and change. But it's much too early to say into what.

Garry began to shake. Ib's eyes opened in worry, as she began to get seriously worried. Garry shook more and more furiously with every worried breath Ib took. She scrambled around, reaching into his pockets, feeling around for his rose. She suddenly felt something prick her finger. "Ee-" she whined. She took out the rose from his pocket, her finger dripping with blood. The blood had begun to drip all over his rose! "N-Ngh..!" But she didn't worry about that; she checked on the rose. But it was strange. All of the petals were there, it was unharmed. So then why was Garry out cold like that? Ib suddenly let out a large cry/whimper and called out his name, "GAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRYY!" Ib cried out. Without realizing she had done that, she covered her mouth with both her hands. _'Why did I do that!The monsters.. or..whatever they are.. they'll see me!' _Several hisses and growls could be heard in the distance. She took Garry's arm, and wrapped it around her, holding his hands and interlocking his long slender fingers with her's. She snuggled up to his side, shutting her eyes tightly, falling into a deep sleep.

_'Garry... I'll wake up if you do the same, okay?'_


	3. The Cause of the Wiggling

Hello, everyone! It's me aznii.25, the author. I apologize for taking such a long time in updating, and leaving you all on the edge of your seats! Since school is nearing, I plan to take this time to get ahead. But worry not, I will always be updating, and thinking of new story ideas. I know after this story for Ib, since I know the ending already, or.. ending-! Sorry, I can't say! But I do know there will be a part 2 to this story! :) I will be listing up coming stories and I will be marking progress points in my description, so please always check it! Anyways, here we goooo!

Hello! My name's Garry, but you probably already knew that. And in this little part, I will be narrating. Ah, where did we leave off? I don't remem.. oh, yes, right. The fall. I wonder how Ib is doing..

"Huh?! Where am I?! Why am I **floating**?!" Okay, I have no idea where I am. Everything is pitch-black! Hm.. I can see a little white thing.. off there, in the distance. I wonder if I can wiggle my way over there.. In attempt to make my way over to the only light source in this place, I wiggled my body furiously. "I- I think it's working! I just need... one... more... push..." I grabbed the white thing with my hands. "Oh? It's a piece of paper. ..It's some nice quality, I'll say that." Then, I yelled out sarcastically, "OKAY, but how is this going to help me get out of here?" I chuckled to myself. Big red letters, that look like they were painted with some sort of red paint, appeared on the walls. If there were any. They spelled out, "READ IT". I took that as a hint to read it.

It was odd, the paper looked like paper, it felt like paper, but it wasn't paper. There was something off about this paper. It read,

"Home is not so far away,

Although together you must stay.

Do not question fate,

and open the gate.

A promise kept by time,

'I am your's and you are mine.'

Two paths,

one you must take,

and one you must forget.

One full of light,

one full of anger and regret.

A device created by God,

allowing you to manipulate time.

So that you could forever be with,

that one on the other end of the

red string of fate."

"Wait, what? What gate? A device? Together? I'm not understand the purpose of this- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Then suddenly, it was like I had fell all over again, with Ib in my arms. But she wasn't there. I reached for her, I felt around fo her, but she wasn't there. My coat was flapping around in the wind, my legs stuck in this position in which I couldn't move. My fingers stiff and cold.

**-PoV Normal-**

"Augh.." Garry mumbled, his eyes still closed. He got up, his left arm supporting his back. "What was that all about?" But Ib was still fast asleep; her arms wrapped around Garry's waist. "Ib.." He heard a soft grumble in the darkness. He shivered. "I've can't wake her up.. look at her." Garry fixed Ib's hair, pushing the loose strands of her long brown hair behind her ear. He leaned forward, placing his forhead on hers. He was completely unaware that she had let out a loud sceam a while before. She was even screaming his name. Garry's name. Suddenly, Ib began to open her eyes. Steadily, but slowly. "Ib! I'm sorry! Did I wake you?" Her eyes began to fill with tears of relief. She wrapped her small arms around his neck; being comforted by his warmth. "Whoa! What's with this sudden hug- Oh... you were worried, weren't you?" Garry said without thinking. He had a stupid look on his face, as if nothing had happened.

"Mnh!" Ib slapped his shoulder. That was her way of saying, 'Of _course_ I was worried, you dumb idiot!'

"Ack! Alright! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Garry chuckled. "I get 'cha." He gave Ib a big hug. The kind of hug a returning soldier would give his daughter. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Ib. I'll try not to do something scary like that, again. But anyways, thank you for being so strong for me." She smiled up at the man who was wiping away her tears and making her a stronger person. A braver person. "Oh! Yeah," Garry rememberd. "I saw this.. this piece of paper, in my dream, and-" He looked down at Ib who had been jumping with excitment. She knew exactly where this was going. "What happened? Why are you...?" She motioned for him to keep going. "Alright.. anyways, it said something like, '_a device created by God', _um.. _'open the gate', _he couldn't remember any more than that. But that was enough to get Ib's little mind moving.

Something was happening.

And she was determined to find out.


	4. Charades with the Fool

Ib tugged on Garry's shirt, scrunching her little eyebrows together. "What is it, Ib?" Garry asked, looking down at her. "Is there something you want?" She stepped in front of him, puffing out her cheeks and placing her hands on her hips. "Kyaaaa, Ib, you're so cute!" Garry swooned. But that wasn't what Ib was trying to do. She wanted to see if she could get him to say more about that paper he had seen in his dream. Maybe it was the same one she saw! But this was going to be hard because Garry was clueless, and Ib just couldn't ever bring herself to speak around Garry.

She took her two index fingers and drew a square shape on the floor. If she could remind him about at least the paper, he might be reminded about what he was talking to her about before. "Oh.." Garry said, kneeling down next to her. Ib felt a jump in her stomach. This was it! He remembers! A silence came between them. The only sound they could hear was the slight hiss of the scary creatures lurking in the shadows. The hideous, vile monsters, disguised as beautiful art. "Are you trying to draw a heart, dear? Ohoho! You're so cute! But no, Ib, you drew a square!" But no cigar. He was still pretty oblivious to what she was trying to explain. Ib was on the edge. As she was about stand up and give him a good slap in the face, he grabbed her hand. He smiled as her eyes widened. "Extend your pointer finger, Ib." Ib did as he said, following her 9 year old girl instincts. He brought her hand to the floor, guiding her finger so it traced the shape of a heart. "See? A heart! For you and me." He cocked his head to the side, flashing her a charming smile. His long, slender fingers comforting her little hand. They seemed to have their own rythm in them; their own pulse. It sent a signal through her, telling her it was alright.

Ib blushed, pulling her hand away. Garry nodded his head like he understood (which he really didn't... at all), and got up. He started to walk again, with Ib by his side; her eyes watching the ground. She started to think. She wanted to try one last thing. She tried remembering one of the parts of that riddle, or poem of some sorts. She just needed one little key part to refresh his memory. _'What were those parts he had tried show me? The device part, right? And the gate thingy?' _As they walked on by, Ib stopped in front of him again. He looked down at her, forming an awkward smile on his face; scrunching his eyebrows together. "Ib, you've stopped me a numerous amount of times now.. is there something you need?"

Ib put her two hads in front of her, trying to imitate a gate opening and closing. "A bird? Ib, I hate to break it to you, but I doubt there are any cute birds here... only.. really scary ones..." Ib shook her head. She tried something else. Maybe she could remind him about that painting about those newlyweds. Ib walked away a little bit, cupping her hands together like she was holding a bouquet. She walked towards Garry slowly. Taking time with ever step. She looked like a real bride walking down the aisle. Garry's eyes sparkled and shined. She was the cutest, and most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes on. "Ib... You're too... adorable.." he felt his heart wrench. "Aaaaah, I can't take it, kyahahahaha!"

_'Is this a game to him!?'_ Ib thought. Then she remembered. That pose. He would surely remember that. Ib suddenly jumped into Garry's arms, getting into the position she was in before. When she was trying to match the painting.

"Waah! Ib, what- Oh! I remember! The painting!" He brought his face close to hers, smiling at her. "That was such a lovely painting, wasn't it? But it's the reason we're in this mess right now, isn't it?" He sighed an awkward sigh with a smile still on his face. Ib got back down from Garry's grasp, and stayed still. Completely still. She turned her head at him, showing him her big, beautiful eyes. Her pleading eyes, seemed to trigger something in his mind. Her prayers had been answered. "Earlier.. were you trying to ask me about the riddle I saw in my dream?" Ib smiled, and nodded vicously. She pointed to herself, and nodded more. For some reason, Garry was able to read her correctly. At least, just for this moment. "What? Did you see the same thing I did when you were asleep?"

_'Yes!'_ Ib thought to herself. Her heart was bursting with this indescribable emotion she couldn't yet express. She smiled brightly, nodding even more.

"Oh, okay, okay, I get it! You want me to tell you more about my dream? And what was in it?" Ib felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. All her efforts in trying to play charades with this idiot had payed off. She felt like she was going to pass out from happiness. She grabbed Garry's hands; bringing them down to her face. She smiled, pressing them against her face. Without realizing it, she let out a silent, 'Yes!' But it wasn't that silent, that Garry didn't hear it. He blushed, smiling; bringing her into a hug; letting his purple coat sway in the calm breeze created by running and crawling beasts, that just didn't seem to have the strength or capability to come face this duo. Ib was so close to something, she could feel it. She just didn't know what. Neither of them do.

Far away, in a distant world, that painting that had started it all, started to change. The gold frame that surrounded the painting began to sprout little words and the couple in the painting started to become disorted. They looked like they had been carved in. And in that distant world, a little girl, with blonde hair and a green dress walked passed as she was finishing up her daily walk around the drawn "park". She placed her hand on the word, tracing it with her fingers. _"'Connection'_, huh?" She looked up at the painting. Seeing that it's formed had changed just slightly. She raised an eyebrow. She brought her palette knife up to her mouth, nibbling on it a little. She pondered for a bit, then she just sighed reluctantly. Practically, not giving a single damn. "Ah, well, I have no control over the art, here. No matter how hideous it is." She walked off, leaving the readers on the edge of their seats, wondering if she will be a key part of this story.

**I hope you liked this extra-long chapter! And let me answer that question for you, no, Mary will not play a part in this story! Sadly, she does not fit in anywhere! But perhaps, I will create some side chapters, or filler chapters, in which she does appear! Anyways, see you soon, and keep on reading and reviewing!**


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